Having a Post Workout Low?

Last week was a full work week so my workout plan included squeezing in the early morning run and cycling at the gym. For those of you training for Eppie's Great Race here is the training schedule they recommend. As your workouts start to get longer and over 45 minutes, you want to think about your recovery. I am lucky to have Olivia Marrone, UC Davis student to help share some sports nutrition insights on today's blog.

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Have you ever felt extreme fatigue or lack of energy a couple hours after a workout? How about feeling like your “post-workout high” seems more like a post-workout low? You are not alone. However, the solution to this issue may be simpler than you would think. Post workout nutrition is the key to good recovery and feeling good!

The goal of a post-workout meal is to replenish the nutrients that have been depleted during extensive exercise. We are aiming to restore fluids, nutrients, and electrolytes lost during the workout, replenish carbohydrates, which were used as muscle fuel during workout. We also need protein to aid the repair of muscle tissues used during activity.

To accomplish this, we want our post-workout meal to include protein and complex carbohydrates. The amount of carbohydrates and protein you need to eat is individually calculated, but general sports nutrition guidelines say to maximize muscle growth include consuming around 15 – 25 grams of high quality protein within two hours after training and every 4 hours while you are awake if you are training longer than 90 minutes.

If you head to the gym for a spin class do you need to follow this?

I would say consuming the protein and complex carbohydrates within two hours of the class is a good idea, it may be in the form of your dinner or breakfast depending on your workout time of day. Here are some examples:

Breakfast: Eggs with low-fat milk and oatmeal with berries

Lunch: Sauted tofu with vegetables and rice

Dinner: Fish tacos with rice and black beans

Snacks: Apples with Low-fat greek yogurt, string cheese, edamame, almonds, nut butter or cottage cheese

(For individualized meal plans contact Ryann)

Remember, it’s important to eat as soon as possible after a workout in order to replenish glycogen stores, aid muscle recovery, and boost energy. Ideally, we want to have our post-workout within meal an hour of working out. However, I understand that this may not be realistic in the midst of our crazy lives. If this is the case, aim to at least eat a smaller snack within 20 minutes of your workout to hold you over until you have time to eat our post-workout meal.

Now it is your turn! Go ahead and try these post-workout tips for yourself and let us know how you feel after. You can tag us on instagram using the hashtag #strongcalmnutrition so we can keep up with your training and progress! We can’t wait to watch you on your journey!